


Quidditch

by LissMels



Series: Harry Potter: Next Generation Oneshots [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Quidditch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 16:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15416934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LissMels/pseuds/LissMels
Summary: The Slytherin quidditch team needs new players, and both Albus and Scorpius want to become Seeker. A fight erupts between the two, as they both are determined to show what they're good for. This is the story of how it turned out.





	Quidditch

**Year of happening: 2021**

Albus and Scorpius were very close friends, and rarely ever disagreed with each other. It was almost too good to be true, people thought, considering their family backgrounds. That is why an event in their third year, which resulted in their possibly largest argument, became the big talk at the time. Some meant that it was meant to happen, while others thought that the two were too close to part ways. Some also claimed that Rose was the glue that held them together.

This particular event took place early in the school year, a late september evening. Albus, Rose and Scorpius had only just been watching the first quidditch match of the year, and were chatting about it on the grounds. Ravenclaw had won by a stunning 190 points against Hufflepuff (which had been a great joy for Fred, whom had been promoted to Captain that very year).

The Slytherin house team were running late this year, and had not yet found their three missing players; a Seeker and two Chasers. Due to this, Scorpius decided to present a certain desire of his to his friends, deep in the conversation.

"I want to try for Seeker," he announced proudly. This had Albus halting to a stop, frowning at his blonde friend.

"What?" He responded, seeming quite taken aback by the freshly received news. "But... I'm going to try for Seeker as well..." The two looked at each other, puzzled.

"We can't both be the Seeker," the blonde shrugged, shaking his head, walking a few steps until he noticed that his friend was not following.

"Scorp, I don't mean to be selfish, but I will disappoint so many people if I don't get that position." Scorpius frowned at the other.

"And why is that? I mean, it's not you have some large fanclub cheering for you to get it." Albus recognized this as a reference to his family name, and did not like hearing his friend make such a sassy comment. It almost came as a shock to him, although the blonde may have misunderstood. Regardless, Albus found it annoying.

"Look, my father was a Seeker - and my grandfather as well - and _James_! At this point it is just about _expected_ that I will be the Seeker! I _need_ to be seeker!"

"Well, what about me, then? In case you did not know, my father was a Seeker as well. I'm his only son, so I'm the only person who could possibly follow his footsteps!" At this point Rose made an attempt to break in, but the boys only ignored her, continuing their tense conversation.

"Your father _bought_ his way into the team!" Albus argued, although he should not had said this, as he could tell that it had greatly angered Scorpius. He knew very well that Scorpius did not like to hear of his father's regretted decisions from others. Perhaps that was exactly why he had said it, for he, himself, felt his anger raise. 

"He was still a good Seeker!" Scorpius responded in defense of his father, seeming enraged at last. "Besides, your family has had enough time in the spotlight - if anyone should back out, it should be you!" This only added to the fire, and one could almost feel the tension between them increasing by every response that was given. 

"Well, perhaps if you tried for Chaser instead, you might _actually_ have a chance to make the team." Albus gave a small smirk after saying this, feeling his own words burn upon his friend. Rose dropped her jaw, frowning at her cousin, seeming speechless. Scorpius took a step closer to the boy, shaking his head, looking almost disgusted by what had been said.

"I want to try for _Seeker,"_ he spoke clearly, looking the other directly in the eye. "If I don't make the team then _so be it_." He did not wait around for a response, but turned and stomped away from the two. 

"Albus Severus Potter!" Rose burst out. "That was incredibly rude, and not necessary at all!" Albus did recognize that he _just might_ had crossed the line a little, but he did not think that his cousin would understand his point of view. Perhaps nobody would.

"You don't get it, Rose," he then started, shaking his head at her, "I am the son of Harry Potter, and I am awfully bad at everything I do! No matter how hard I try, I _always_ fail to live up to expectations! All I ever do is disappoint! For once in my life, I want to actually _achieve_ something!" For a moment, Rose did not respond. She only gave him a look of sympathy, followed by a nod of understanding.

"I understand that it's hard to live in your father's shadow," she admitted. "But that's only a bigger reason to keep your friends close."

Albus had not expected to hear such words, and they immediately grew on him, making him rethink what had been said. Still, he stood by his own choice and insisted upon himself that he was not in the wrong. Becoming Seeker was, after all, his greatest goal this year. Giving it up was not an option.

For a good week, the two boys did all they could to avoid each other. In fact, they could barely even stand being in each other's presence.

The showdown would take place on the quidditch pitch that next weekend. Slytherins from all years had gathered, and amongst them were Albus and Scorpius. The Quidditch Captain and the team Beaters stood before them. They were eventually sorted them into two groups (based on which position the students were trying for), and then the Captain turned first to the group competing for Seeker.

"Here's how this will go," he started, loud and clearly, "We have two great Beaters on our team, and their job is to try their best to knock you off your brooms. Let me warn you right away that they both have a great shot, and some of you will likely end up in the hospital wing. If there are any of you who is not willing to risk that, you may leave now." Many of the participants muttered and looked at each other, but in the end, no more than two out of nine drew back. Both Albus and Scorpius were slightly shaken by the thought of getting knocked out by a Bludger, but they did not back down. The Captain continued, "Now, _your_ job will not only be to avoid the Bludgers, but to catch the Snitch. The Seeker will be whoever catches the Snitch first."

The Captain stepped over to the trunk, opening it with confidence, only to reveal the enraged Bludgers trying to break loose from it. He ignored them at first, and instead picked up the tiny ball of gold, letting it fly away in an instant and disappear from sight before anyone could as much as see where it was heading. Albus noticed his surrounding participants mounting their brooms, and copied them while desperately scanning the air, looking for any trace of the Snitch. The Beaters were already up and about, preparing their bats for the release of the Bludgers. The tension was high, and Albus could feel his heart beating through his chest in the silence. 

"GO!" The Captain suddenly yelled, the Bludgers jumping high into the air the moment they were loosened. As the participants took off at high speed, one of the Bludgers shot straight past Albus' head, startling him and leaving him frightened and puzzled at the same time. He quickly flew upwards to get an overview, while at the same time avoiding the storm of Bludgers. He noticed a large portion of the crowd having parted ways, none of them seemingly chasing the Snitch just yet (it was quite early, still). 

One thing that did catch Albus' sight, was how one girl ducked the Bludger, having it crash into the boy behind her and having him fall off his broom. This was a horrific sight, and for a moment Albus forgot to pay attention to the game. He noticed Scorpius shooting past a boy in fifth year, seeming desperate to find the Snitch first.

Albus heard a _swooshing_ sound coming from behind him, and was nearly crashed into by another student as he looked. Following him came another Bludger, and Albus took a sharp turn to the side and dived out of the Quidditch pitch area. He flew on the outside for a moment, then back in, witnessing two participants colliding with each other.

With all this action happening at once, the boy had a hard time searching for the Snitch, and figured that he needed a plan. Perhaps if he could find a somewhat safe spot, he could eliminate the dangers and allow himself to fully search for the Snitch.

Making a quick decision, he flew towards one of the Beaters. This could seem like a bad decision, but he thought that he would be less likely to be aimed at if there was a chance of the Beater to get hit. Just as he thought this, he snick past, forcing the incoming Bludger onto the Beater, so that he could buy himself some time. 

In the corner of his eye, he spotted something of golden surface swoop past so quickly that he barely even noticed, and his instant reaction was to follow. He suddenly burst into full speed after what he believed had to be the Snitch, and felt the adrenaline boiling inside of him. Somehow, he managed to keep up with the tiny ball, and watched it slowly grow in size as he was nearing.

Scorpius was rushing towards him, having noticed the Snitch chase, and was followed by a boy with dark hair. It was at this moment that Albus realized, they were only three participants left on the pitch - and all three were now hunting the Snitch.

Keeping up was challenging, as the Snitch made quick and sharp turns in attempt to shake off its persecutors. Still, Albus had the advantage of being in front, giving him the best position for catching the Snitch.

Suddenly, he heard a large  _thump_ , recognizing it as a Bludger hitting someone whom was very near, and could not help but to look back in a hurry, to see which of his remaining challengers had been knocked out. Scorpius was not behind him any longer, nor was their last challenger. He looked down to see a boy with dark hair falling towards the ground with a yell, but did still not see Scorpius. Had he been knocked out at some point?

Returning his focus to the Snitch, he reached forward, nearly touching the ball with the tips of his fingers. At this point, he was sure his pulse could not get any higher. His hand was trembling as he stretched, feeling himself struggle as he challenged his balance. He decided that he needed to reach further, and risk a fall, in order to grab hold of the golden ball.

However, Albus never got as far as to do so. Out of nowhere, an unexpected figure flew in from the side, barely missing the boy as it shot past the front tip of his broom, removing the Snitch from Albus' reach all the while. The boy was puzzled, not quite able to understand how this was possible, until he heard clapping and cheering erupting from the ground. That was the point when realization hit him.

Scorpius had caught the Snitch.

Albus remained in the air for a short while, processing what he had witnessed. It had happened so sudden, and to him it had been unexpected. His immediate feeling was anger, as he had not been able to catch the Snitch first, as well as humiliated for having lost to Scorpius. However, as much as he did envy the blonde for his victory, he did acknowledge the Seeker's great flying skills, and found that he could not deny that he had lost to someone worthy (although he dared not to admit this out loud). As soon as he had processed his thoughts, he finally started to sink towards the ground. The Captain looked very pleased, clapping long and loud as the two landed before him.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," he spoke, nodding his head towards Scorpius. "Cutting the Snitch off like that was clever and unexpected. That could come of great use in the upcoming match against Gryffindor." Albus had not expected to get a lot of praise next to the new Seeker, but to his great surprise, the Captain turned his attention to him next. "And you," he spoke, a smile sneaking its way to his lips once more, "You seem to be a quick and rational thinker, and you have great flying skills - say, I can see you making a fair Chaser. What do you say?"

"Yes, Al, what do you say?" Scorpius asked, wearing a taunting smile that said _I told you so_. Seeing this look on the other's face, Albus felt determined to show him that he could do great things, even as a Chaser. Even though he lost the position as Seeker, he refused for Scorpius to think any less of him. For that very reason, he accepted the offer, giving the blonde a daring glance. Although this was not what he most wanted, his parents were very proud to hear that he had made the house team.

Their first match soon came, and the team had only managed one single practice beforehand. Needless to say, they were very unprepared. Some of the team members took this out on the Captain for his lack of planning ahead. Regardless, it was how it was, and they would have to manage the circumstances.

The match started out slow, as neither Scorpius nor James had spotted the Snitch. The score was even for quite some time, as well, until one of the Slytherin Chasers were knocked out by a Bludger. This was the point when Albus realized that the Gryffindors had a strategy.

"They've been chasing him down all the way up until now!" He informed Ava Hankins, the third and more experienced Chaser on their team. "They're taking us out one by one!" Hankins nodded and passed the Quaffle to Albus. Roxanne, who was a Gryffindor Beater, lined up on his side, and just as the Bludger was coming in, he took a sharp turn around his cousin, suddenly flying the opposite direction and passing the Quaffle back to Hankins. Next, she had the Quaffle fly past the Gryffindor Keeper and through the middle hoop, awarding Slytherin ten points.

Albus was quick, catching the Quaffle on the backside of the hoops. He witnessed a Bludger being aimed at Hankins, whom was saved by one of their Beaters in the very last second. At this point he was sure that his female teammate was Gryffindor's next target.

Two chasers of the opposite team came up to him from both sides, trapping him in the middle. Next, they made an attempt to steal the Quaffle, and Albus made a quick decicion to dive downwards, escaping them and throwing the Quaffle towards the hoop once again. One of the Chasers in red nearly caught it in the process, but by sheer luck, it went through - another ten points to Slytherin.

High up in the air, the match had taken a wild turn, as the Snitch had finally been spotted. The two chasers - Scorpius Malfoy and James Potter - were flying side by side in the chase of the Golden Snitch. The crowd was cheering and booing, rooting for their favorite candidate to catch it first.

The two were pushing and shoving, trying to slow the other down, though it did not appear to have much of an effect, as they were both catching up. The Snitch was currently flying on the outer ring of the pitch, and Scorpius made the decision to take an inner turn, cutting James and the Snitch off by surprise. This was a difficult act to perform, as he could never quite predict where the Snitch would fly, yet the Slytherin figured that it was his best chance.

Scorpius was zooming towards his competitor, analyzing the situation. As he was closing in at full speed, he realized that he would not be able to catch the Snitch at this rate - he would need to push himself further to do so, and he was already at his absolute limit as it was. He made an attempt, though, and was just about to collide with the Gryffindor by doing so. Scorpius had turned _just_ in time, and was lying slightly ahead of the other. 

At this point, the score was 60-130 to Slytherin. While Ava Hankins did a great job at dodging Bludgers, Albus had found that he could abandon all Bludger-related focus, and instead pour all his energy into scoring points for his team. He was flying up towards the hoops with the Quaffle when a Gryffindor Chaser blocked his path, making a great attempt at removing the ball from his grasp. For a moment, he feared that he would lose it to the girl, but thanks to a Slytherin Beater, a Bludger came flying in and crashed into the Gryffindor, who tipped over and went swirling towards the ground with one hand on her broomstick. 

Albus zoomed forward, receiving eye contact with a very focused Keeper. He looked wildly around to see if Hankins was available for passage, but she was way behind, occupied by the Bludgers. From the moment he threw the Quaffle, he knew it was not going to score. However, Albus had a plan. He had aimed at the left hoop, then withdrew a little. As soon as the Keeper kicked the ball back, Albus, with great help from his quick reflexes, caught the ball again and immediately threw it towards the _right_ hoop. This had clearly been unexpected, and the crowd went wild as the Quaffle went through. It was now Gryffindor 60 and Slytherin 140. 

James was clearly getting desperate at this point. Slytherin was 80 points ahead, and there would be no turning it around, it seemed. On top of that, his competitor was in front as they were flying near the ground. He kept nudging on Scorpius, but the boy in green refused to give in. He was quite close to the Snitch by now, and it was nearly time to reach forward and grab hold of it. 

Scorpius made sure to fly up close to the Snitch before taking any chances. However, as soon as he stretched his hand out, James purposely knocked himself into his side, which suddenly left the blonde falling off his broom in full speed. He smashed into the sand below and rolled around a few times. The crowd gasped at the sight of it, and for a brief moment Scorpius lay still, looking up at the skies, feeling dizzy and light headed from the fall.

As soon as his head had stilled, Scorpius got to his feet, scanning the air above. His broomstick was levitating in mid-air above him, and as soon as he had located James, he jumped up and grabbed it with both hands, then climbed on top of it. When mounted, he sped forward towards the red Seeker. He was back in the game, though he was way behind at this point. 

The crowd went loud as Gryffindor scored another ten points. The score was 90-190 to Slytherin, as Albus was doing an incredible job at scoring points. Ava Hankins was occupied most of the time, but since she had become Gryffindor's target, she had managed to score 20 points. She mostly passed the Quaffle to Albus right away, to avoid the ball getting lost to a Bludger. Because of this, Albus appeared to be scoring all the points by himself. Throughout the match, he had scored 90 points for their team. Hankins had scored 70 in all, while the Chaser whom had been taken out first had only scored 30. 

At this point of the match, Albus was positioned close to the hoops, and as soon as Hankins passed the Quaffle to him, he went for it. As the ball left the tips of his fingers, however, there was a major turn of events. Roxanne had aimed a Bludger at Hankins, who by ducking sent it flying on towards Albus. Albus, on the other hand, had his attention fixed upon the hoops and the Quaffle, and did not even get the time to register the _swooshing_ sound closing in. That very next moment, some great force smashed into his head, instantly turning everything black.

The Quaffle went through, but the crowd did not cheer. There were gasping and screaming all over as the boy went falling towards the ground beneath. An enormous cloud of sand erupted as he hit, and the air stilled in anxiousness. It was as if everyone were holding their breath - not even the commentator was speaking. In fact, nobody had as much as noticed that the match was over. Not until James approached his brother with the Snitch in his hand did the commentator announce the winning team.

"Oh - oh - James Potter has caught the Snitch," he stuttered out, though there was only a minor reaction to this (a few Gryffindors were cheering for their team, as they did not quite mind Albus getting hurt). People had started whispering by the time McGonagall and Madam Hooch went running out on the pitch, approaching the Potters. James was trying to shake his brother awake, though he had no luck. As rare as it was, his face was drained from color, and his eyes struck by horror. Scorpius joined the boy, his entire body shaking from the sight. Despite their recent fight, Albus _was_ his best friend, and seeing him lying consciousness in the sand felt like an enormous punch in the gut. The fact that they had lost the match did no longer matter to him the slightest - he was greatly worried for his friend. 

*****

Albus lay in the Hospital Wing for four days before finally waking. He was met by the sight of five relieved faces - James and Lily one one side of the bed, Scorpius and Rose on the other, while Roxanne sat at the foot of the bed. As puzzled as he was, he tried to remember what had happened as his visitors bombarded him with hugs. 

"I'm so sorry," spoke Roxanne, shaking her head as it was her turn to hug him, and suddenly Albus remembered. "I only tried to knock Hankins off her broom, that Bludger was never supposed to hit you."

"Who won?" was Albus' response, as he was curious to know. He looked to Scorpius. "Did you catch the Snitch?"

"Actually, _I_ did," James admitted. "Shame nobody really cared, though - you made quite the scene."

"You were worried too," Lily exclaimed, frowning at her oldest brother, "You threw the Snitch away and went to check on him." James crossed his arms, frowning back. 

"Did not, I just-"

"Oh, shush," Lily spoke, rolling her eyes and turning back to Albus. "He was terribly worried, you should have seen his face."

"But don't worry," Rose added, "Madam Pomfrey says you'll be just fine - you only need to rest for some time." 

"You'll be back on your feet for our next match against Hufflepuff," Scorpius then spoke, having Albus look to him, his mind instantly changing its focus upon eye contact. He realized what a fool he had been for ever doubting the Seeker's abilities, and to say such awful things to him. As he was nodding, all the words he had said to the blonde were echoing in his head, and it truly felt like a punch in the gut. How in the world could they let something like this ruin their friendship?

Soon enough, Roxanne, James and Lily left the room, leaving the trio alone. This was the moment where it seemed pointless to keep resenting Scorpius, and found that it was pointless to keep to himself any longer. The truth was, he missed his friend, and had finally realized that he would just have to come clean.

"Hey, I owe you an apology," he admitted at last, hanging his head a little. "I'm not quite sure what came over me, but demanding the position was selfish. After all that has happened, I can tell that you _do_ make a better Seeker than me."

"How flattering," Scorpius smiled teasingly, although when Rose elbowed him, he cleared his throat and said, "well, I believe I owe you an apology as well. I mean, we were both being foolish and unreasonable - it was a silly argument, and that's all."

"I suppose it was," Albus nodded, and the two exchanged smiles.

Despite all the harsh words that had been said, Albus and Scorpius were able to restore their friendship in the end. They were happy, too, that they could finally leave their troubles in the past where they belonged. Scorpius would remain the team Seeker, while Albus a Chaser, and they were both finally happy in their separate positions. Albus had come to realize that it was better that way. He knew, by now, that he possibly had inherited his mother's Quidditch talent, rather than his father's. 


End file.
